


The Case of the Whitestone Heiress

by aunt_zelda



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Noir, Critmas Exchange, F/F, Implied medical abuse, critmas treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-18 16:35:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21930460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aunt_zelda/pseuds/aunt_zelda
Summary: AU where Vex is a detective and the Briarwoods darken her door, asking her to find their missing ward, the troubled Percival. But then his sister shows up at Vex's office late.
Relationships: Cassandra de Rolo & Vex'ahlia
Comments: 3
Kudos: 22
Collections: Critmas Exchange 2019





	The Case of the Whitestone Heiress

**Author's Note:**

  * For [celaenos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/celaenos/gifts).



> I was intrigued by many of your prompts and wanted to write you a treat fic. I only wish I'd had time to explore this further, I love this idea, I might expand it someday ...

Vex knows trouble when she sees it. She ought to have turned the Briarwoods away the moment they darkened her door. But they had money, and a lot of it, and the detective agency wasn’t successful enough yet to turn away rich clients. Not even rich clients who made Vex’s skin crawl. 

They’re beautiful, the Briarwoods. Beautiful in that regal, cold sort of way that reminds Vex unpleasantly of her father. 

“One of our wards has gone missing.” Sylas Briarwood tells Vex. His eyes are the metallic grey of a revolver and just as merciless. 

“The poor boy, he’s been quite disturbed since the passing of his parents and siblings. We fear he might harm himself, or worse, others.” Delilah Briarwood pauses dramatically, composing her face into an appropriate expression of grief. 

Vex knows this whole business stinks, but she takes the job. She gets some photographs of the of the ward – a pale and haunted looking young man – and passes it along to her brother for some preliminary investigations. 

Later that night, Vex is closing up the office when she hears a knock at the door. She opens it warily and finds the other ward staring back at her: Cassandra de Rolo, the younger sister of the missing man. She was in some of the photographs – not a hair out of place, not a crease in her dress. Vex had noted the possessive way Sylas or Delilah had their hands on Cassandra’s shoulders in those photographs. 

“Please, I need to speak with you. I’m –”

“Cassandra de Rolo, yes, I know.” Vex steps back. “Come on in.”

The story includes a great deal more murder than Vex had anticipated. The Briarwoods had come to visit six years ago, and then the accidents had started. Tragic accidents … the father, the eldest sister, the mother, the twins … until all that was left of the De Rolo line were Cassandra and her brother, both teenagers. The Briarwoods were supposedly distant relations of the De Rolos, or that’s what their lawyer had been able to convince enough people of, leaving them as guardians of the tragic orphans until Percival reached the age of majority and unlocked the family wealth. 

“But he turned twenty-one years back, why hasn’t your brother claimed the inheritance and driven them out?” Vex asks. 

“They had him declared unfit. There was a doctor, paid by them. She … did things to him. She said it was therapy but it made him worse. So he couldn’t inherit. But I’m about to turn twenty-one and then the money is mine, and they think they have me under control.” 

“And they don’t?”

“No. They only think they do.” Cassandra smiles sharply. 

It’s at that moment Vex starts to fall in love with Cassandra de Rolo. 

“You want my help?” Vex asks. 

“Yes. I’m in a rather desperate strait. I can promise you far more money than they have. And I should let you know that the Briarwoods often make their contractors … disappear, when they’ve served their purpose.” Cassandra says delicately. 

That should rattle Vex, instead it only strengthens her resolve. “Very well. I’d rather work for you than them anyhow. What do you need?” 

They hatch a plan. Vex and Vax will locate Percival and get him to authorities who aren’t in the pockets of the Briarwoods. Meanwhile Cassandra will use all of her cunning to ferret away important documents from the mansion, proving their vile schemes. Vex doesn’t like how the bulk of the risk rests with Cassandra, but there’s no way around that. 

Cassandra shakes Vex’s hand. Vex knows trouble when she sees it. But maybe this is exactly the sort of trouble she wants.


End file.
